Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 13: The Immortal duo and a Turtle
Naruto and Sakura visited Sai at the hospital. At the same time, Kakashi had just returned from his mission and was told that his team was at the hospital. When he joined them, they gave him a rundown of the latest events.
"Sounds like a lot happened." Kakashi commented before he turned to Naruto. "What about you? You basically absorbed a second Kyuubi, albeit nowhere near as powerful."
Naruto shrugged. "It merged with the real deal, so I still have only one to worry about."
Kakashi nodded, accepting the reasoning.
At that moment, Asuma entered the room. "So this is where you were. Can I have a word with you, Kakashi?"
"Sure." Kakashi said as he left the room with Asuma, not before Asuma dropped off a basket of apples for Sai.
Meanwhile, in Kaminari no Kuni
"It's been half an hour." A man with a facemask and an Akatsuki cloak said. "Are you done yet, Hidan!?"
"Fuck you, Kakuzu! Don't mess with the ritual!" Hidan, a guy with slicked-back silver hair and purple eyes, growled before he pulled out his retractable spear from his gut and stood up.
"You do this Jashin sacrifice thing every time." Kakuzu said as he looked at a map of the Elemental Countries. "Can't you skip it every once in a while?"
"I don't like doing it either, but it is part of my religion, I have to!" Hidan insisted. "And skipping it? That's blasphemy against Jashin-sama!"
"Whatever, we have one more to chase. We'll head for Hi no Kuni when Souma arrives."
"Which is right now." Kakuzu heard behind him. Souma, now wearing the Akatsuki cloak along with his usual cloak, mask and hood, walked past Kakuzu and looked at the bloodied body of the Nibi Jinchuuriki. "Holy shit. You guys didn't hold back."
"Blame Hidan's Jashin ritual after we knocked her out, that's why she's still bleeding." Kakuzu shrugged.
"Shut the fuck up, Kakuzu!" Hidan said angrily. "Your damn side jobs are the reason it took us so long to find our Jinchuuriki!"
"Bounty Hunting is legitimate work." Souma said as he broke the Jinchuuriki's neck, taking her soul and the Nibi. "It's hard work and it's paying work."
"Hear, hear." Kakuzu said. "I'm also the one who handles Akatsuki's finances, so try putting yourself in my shoes for a minute."
"He's too impatient to last that long." Souma chuckled. "Well, time for me to go. I have a cat to deliver." He said as he walked away.
"That masked bastard really is making Akatsuki's job easy, isn't he?" Hidan asked once Souma was gone.
"He is, and I respect him for it." Kakuzu said. "Time is money, and his Power of Dominance is saving us a lot of time."
Hidan sighed. "It's always about money with you."
"It's always about Jashin with you." Kakuzu countered as he walked away, with a cursing Hidan following him.
Back in Konoha
Naruto, overseen by Kakashi and Yamato, continued the waterfall training in Training Ground 7. It was going quite fine, considering they were able to cut the waterfall for a second. That night, Kakashi estimated that Naruto might be done the next day.
"Naruto!" Kakashi called out in the middle of the second day. "Dispel your clones and take a break for now."
Naruto sighed as he did so. He was almost there. This training really is on a whole other level. Kakashi appeared next to him with a basket. "What's this?" Naruto asked.
"A gift from Sakura. Inside it are soldier pills and a note from her." Kakashi answered.
Naruto took the basket and read the note.
"These are my special Sakura soldier pills. Eat them and keep training hard. Sakura."
"All right then, let's try one right now." Naruto said as he popped one of the pills in his mouth. It tasted so bad he spat it out.
A few hours later, Naruto was on one knee, panting.
"Take a break, Naruto. You're exhausted." Kakashi said.
Naruto smirked. He palmed the waterfall and released his chakra. His section of the waterfall was perfectly cut.
Yamato and Kakashi's eyes widened.
"This training is supposed to be something else entirely, compared to the normal training." Yamato said. "And yet he did it in two days."
"Naruto himself was always something else entirely." Kakashi said as called out to Naruto. "Good job, Naruto! It's now time for you to create your own Jutsu!"
Naruto panted. "I'll just take a breather first." He said.
"How about we go grab a bite to eat, then?" Kakashi offered.
With that, the trio went to a restaurant.
"There's something I want to tell you, Naruto." Kakashi said.
Naruto swallowed his food and turned to Kakashi.
"What you are about to do is easily the hardest part of your training. Yondaime-sensei created an A-rank Jutsu through Shape Manipulation alone, yet not even he could apply an elemental affinity to his Jutsu. How you were able to do it with the leaf cutting training alone baffles me to this day. However, Fuuton: Rasengan is still a high A-rank Jutsu. If you improve on it, you may very well create an S-rank Jutsu, if not higher. Creating that Jutsu is something you will have to do on your own."
Naruto smirked. "That's a lot of words for 'I can't help you, do it yourself.'" He joked.
Kakashi eye-smiled. "You'll manage. I believe you're the only one who can surpass the Yondaime Hokage."
Naruto looked at Kakashi in shock.
Later, the trio returned to the training field. He stood still, letting the wind tickle his skin. He made a Fuuton: Rasengan and looked at it intently. Due to being wind elemental, the Rasengan was already razor-sharp. How could he improve on that?
Naruto heard rustlings. He threw a shuriken on a nearby tree. A squirrel climbed another tree in fear.
Naruto sighed before he retrieved his shuriken. As he laid eyes on it, something clicked in his head. He looked at Kakashi and Yamato with a grin. He made another Futon: Rasengan before gesturing to the Jutsu and the shuriken.
Kakashi eye-smiled. "He managed to think of something."
Yamato sighed. "And all it took was a random squirrel. I can't believe his luck."
Three days later, grim news spread around the village. Multiple teams had been dispatched to hunt down the Akatsuki team that attacked and destroyed the Fire Temple. One team found the duo and engaged them. After a one-sided battle, the Konoha team received reinforcements and managed to escape, but not without a casualty.
Asuma Sarutobi...
During the funeral, Konohamaru clung to Naruto, crying at the death of his uncle.
Another two days later, Team Kakashi was summoned to the Hokage's office.
"I heard from Sakura that you finished creating your new Jutsu." Tsunade said.
Naruto nodded. "The Jutsu isn't completely stable yet. But if I have a Kage Bunshin help me keep it in check at first, I can then use it by myself."
Tsunade nodded. "Team Asuma left the village last night to chase after the Akatsuki team that killed Asuma. Kakashi volunteered to be their captain to make sure they stay safe. Your team will be their backup. You are to prepare immediately."
The team saluted and left the office.
Eventually, they reached Team Asuma, minus Shikamaru. They were restrained by threads coming from Kakuzu, whose body was segmented by threads. Two masks appeared among the threads on Kakuzu's shoulders and were about to fire a Katon and Fuuton Collaboration Jutsu.
Naruto used Kyuubi's chakra to give himself a boost of strength and speed before he appeared in front of Kakuzu and shoved him to the ground. The Collaboration Jutsu shot toward the sky.
"Just in the nick of time." Naruto said as he and the rest of Team Kakashi landed next to Team Asuma and he deactivated Kyuubi's chakra.
Kakashi sighed in relief. "Perfect timing." He said. He had almost used his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"I've never seen you so beaten up, senpai." Yamato said.
It was true. Kakashi was wounded and his clothes were in damaged. He even lost his Flak Jacket.
"Well, excuse me." Kakashi said. "Our enemy just so happens to have more than one life. Those masks you see are hearts he took from his enemies. We managed to destroy two of them, but there are still those two and another one within him. Also, two of you should go back up Shikamaru. A long-range user and a medical ninja." He then summoned Pakkun, who guided Sai and Sakura to Shikamaru.
Naruto stepped forward. "If this guy has more than one life, then he's the perfect target for some field testing."
Kakashi turned to Yamato. "Did he complete it?"
Yamato shook his head. "Almost, he says he still has a few adjustments to make. But it's more than enough."
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called out as he made a clone.
"Kage Bunshin..." Kakuzu said. "I see... You're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."
The original and the clone each raised a hand in the air. Naruto made a Fuuton: Rasengan, which started becoming larger and larger. It made a loud screech-like noise as it expanded. Finally, the wind blades became a large spinning shuriken around the wind sphere. As it was shuriken-shaped, it was meant to be used as a projectile but, unless he added magic to make it a 'spell', he was unable to throw it without going unstable.
"Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken!" Naruto said.
Choji and Ino were awed at the new Jutsu.
Kakuzu was sweating. He knew that if he were to be hit by such a Jutsu, he'd be finished.
Suddenly, the clone used Chakra Chains to restrain the Nuke-nin. Before Kakuzu could even react, Naruto had thrown the Rasen-shuriken. In less than a second, the Jutsu went through the distance between Naruto and Kakuzu and hit the Nuke-nin. Kakuzu was sent flying alongside the Jutsu before it made an enormous explosion of wind.
When the explosion dissipated, Kakuzu's corpse was floating from the attacks it was still receiving. It looked like his body was being punctured by many tiny needles.
"Even with my Sharingan, I can't count the number of attacks he's receiving." Kakashi thought before he looked at Naruto. "To think he created such a Jutsu from one the Yondaime couldn't complete. It's official, he has surpassed me. And soon, he will surpass you as well, sensei."
"Amazing..." Choji and Ino muttered as they looked at Naruto.
"Well, it's time we head back to Konoha." Yamato said.
"You guys go on ahead." Naruto said. "It's only natural that I finish things up here."
"Bring the body with you, Naruto. There's something I want to check about your Jutsu." Kakashi said as the others accepted Naruto's reasoning. Naruto nodded before he jumped down the large crater.
"How could I...be beaten...by a bunch of kids?" Kakuzu rasped.
"The next generation will always be stronger than the previous one." Naruto said. His fights with the Belmont clan showed him that much. He made a Fuuton: Rasengan and slammed it on Kakuzu, killing him and gaining his soul.
He would have to use the Jiongu once to gain the threads, which was good because he did not want them. They would make him too obvious.
"Excellent work, everyone." Tsunade said once the group gave their reports. "But the remaining members of Akatsuki are still a threat, so don't get overconfident. At any rate, you should all take a break. You've earned it. Dismissed!"
The next day, Kakashi and Yamato came to Naruto, telling him the extent of Kakuzu's wounds.
"My Jutsu harms to the cellular level?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi nodded. "Basically, when your Jutsu hits the enemy, many needle-sized wind blades attack every cell in the enemy's body. Your Jutsu severed Kakuzu's nerve channels."
Naruto grimaced. "Ouch."
"It is indeed a dangerous Jutsu." The trio turned to the source of the voice and saw Jiraiya.
"How's it going, Old Pervert?" Naruto smirked.
Jiraiya shook his fist at Naruto. "You haven't changed a bit since I was gone!"
Yamato and Kakashi left the two to their reunion.
"Tsunade-hime told me of your Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken. Well done." Jiraiya said as he calmed down.
"It's not perfect yet. I still have to stabilize it with a clone, something I plan to rectify, and I need to find a way to hit even if the enemy is fast enough to dodge. I only hit Kakuzu because he was restrained by the chains, but not everyone is going to fall for that." Naruto said. "I also have to be able to throw it with only chakra. Wouldn't want a Hyuuga to use the Byakugan on it and possibly see the magic. Or not see the magic and see the void that the chakra can't fill."
Jiraiya nodded, proud of his apprentice's foresight.
Three days later, Team Kakashi received a new mission: to back up Team Anko, lead by Kakashi, for a recon mission they were sent for, two days prior. Pakkun had come back to Konoha with a specimen of a weird Jutsu and were requesting back up. Apparently, one of Orochimaru's bases may have been found.
"They eventually arrived on a mountain surrounded by forests.
"If things are going as planned, they should have left some sign behind." Yamato said. "Sai, do some recon from the sky, would you?"
Sai pulled out a scroll, a brush and ink and drew a large bird in the scroll. "Ninpo: Chouju Giga!" The large bird peeled itself from the scroll and flew to the sky with Sai on its back. However, he quickly came back because of a sudden mist.
The team was forced to continue without any clue, but they soon came upon a barrier made of crystal.
"There's no doubt that this is the enemy's Jutsu." Yamato said. "The very reason we were sent to reinforce the others. Sai!"
Sai had already made his ink avian to check the crystal from above.
He then landed back next to the team. "The barrier surrounds the entire area. It looks to be a kilometer across."
Yamato turned one of his fingers into wood and poked the crystal.
"It doesn't look like it reacts to contact from the outside. Kakashi-senpai and the others must be trapped inside." He said as he returned his finger to normal.
"If they're only trapped, then it's not so bad... But if there's something else, they might be in trouble." Sakura said.
Yamato tried to use Mokuton to dig underground, but even that was barricaded by the crystal barrier.
"Even the ground itself...there is no weak spot in this jutsu." He said.
"It also appears quite strong." Sai said. "We probably won't be able to break it with an attack that focuses at one point."
Yamato nodded. "We need a Jutsu both wide and powerful."
Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Make way, please."
The entire team went to a safe enough distance.
Naruto made a clone and made a Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken before throwing it at the wall. The entire barrier cracked and collapsed under the power of the wind Jutsu.
Team Kakashi then immediately caught up with Team Anko.
"Reinforcement?" A fair-skinned, light-blue-haired woman said. She had dark eyes and her hair was kept in a spiky ponytail, yet kept two long bangs framing her face. She wore a kimono that had a long left sleeve and a short right sleeve over a red turtleneck with a white, fluffy collar.
"Is everyone all right?" Naruto asked.
"Most of us are." Kakashi said. "But the enemy has Hinata as a hostage." He pointed at a crystallized Hinata next to the woman.
"What's the plan?" Yamato asked.
"No sudden movements." Kakashi said. "That woman can shatter the crystal to bits, taking Hinata along with it."
The woman chuckled. "Look at the situation you're in and turn back." She demanded. "If you pull back, I'll hand over the girl."
Suddenly, Sai jumped in the air and made an ink avian. The woman attacked the avian with crystal projectiles, making the avian burst into ink. She had to cover her eyes as it splashed on her. Suddenly, Naruto appeared before her and kicked her on the head, sending her flying.
Naruto then used the Chakra Chains to pull Hinata's crystal from its spot. The entire group retreated upon Hinata being rescued.
Coincidentally, when they got away from the enemy, Pakkun caught up to them.
"Konoha has finished the analysis of Shino's crystallized Kikaichuu." He said. "This is definitely Shoton Ninjutsu. The Kikaichuu was also encased in the crystal."
"So it really can crystallize anything..." Kakashi said.
"The real problem is its potency." Pakkun said. "Even the Kikaichuu's bodily fluids were crystallized."
"What about Hinata?" Kiba asked.
Suddenly, the crystal started cracking, starting from the base that was cracked from being pulled off. Everyone was horrified when the crystal shattered completely, but Hinata was unharmed.
Sakura quickly pressed her ear on Hinata's body to find a heartbeat.
"She's still alive!" She exclaimed in relief as Hinata regained consciousness.
Shino crouched to Hinata's level. "How did you survive? When my Kikaichiuu were trapped within the crystal, they would shatter along with the crystal."
"When I was caught in the Jutsu, I released chakra around my body like a shield." Hinata said.
"So that means the Shoton can't crystallize chakra." Shino said analytically.
"Good quick thinking, Hinata." Kakashi praised.
"Just as expected from you!" Kiba said. "You're amazing, Hinata!"
Akamaru barked in agreement.
Hinata was embarrassed at the praise. "I'm sorry if I worried everyone."
"The most important is that you're safe." Naruto said, with everyone nodding in agreement.
Hinata blushed.
Yamato turned to Kakashi. "What do we do now, senpai?"
Kakashi turned to Hinata.
"D-Don't worry about me." She said as she tried to get up.
"Don't push yourself too hard." Sakura said worriedly.
"Despite being caught in the Jutsu, Hinata managed well..." Shino said.
"We have no way of countering our enemy's ability for now." Kakashi said. "For now, we should retreat."
"But that would mean letting them get away. We went through all this trouble to find them and I don't think we'll catch them again is we retreat." Kiba asked.
"Then we'll split up." Kakashi compromised. "Sai and Sakura will be on standby, waiting for Hinata to recover."
"Right!" The aforementioned duo responded.
"The rest of us will form a pursue team. It's possible that the enemy erased their tracks while fleeing. Even Akamaru may have a hard time finding them."
"Any ideas how to find them?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi nodded. "They use bats to spy on us. We'll use that to our advantage. But if we get too close, they'll find us first. Naruto's ability to destroy the sturdiest crystal is also invaluable right now. If we find them, don't attempt anything. We must uncover their plans first."
"I guess it's time for me to go back." Pakkun said.
Kakashi nodded. "Thanks for the help, Pakkun."
Pakkun disappeared into smoke.
The entire group, except Hinata, Sakura and Sai, left to scout the area.
"We shouldn't have taken our eyes off of them, even for a second." Kiba said. "Now we have to search them all over again!"
"And these bats make it harder for us." Naruto added.
"They do, but we cannot put ourselves at risk." Shino said.
"I never said otherwise." Naruto said.
Kakashi stopped, causing the group to stop.
"Shino, you have a plan?" He asked.
"The problem is how we think." Shino started. "If we worry about the bats finding us, then it'll be a problem. But if we suspect that they'll find us, we can that to our advantage. The bats' supersonic waves won't work from afar. So, how do they report back if they find us?"
"They go back to the one among the enemy who can understand their waves." Naruto said.
Shino nodded.
"Good thinking, Shino." Kakashi praised. "Naruto, three Kage Bunshin."
"Perfect, one of them will report the Shoton to the original." Naruto thought before he did as requested.
"I want them to run on the ground about ten meters away from each other."
"You heard the man. Follow the plan." Naruto said, causing his Bunshin to salute at both the verbal and hidden order.
The Bunshin started running around. Soon, the group saw a bat fly away. Pretty obvious when in broad daylight.
As the team chased the bat, the trio of clones nodded at each other before two of them dispelled. The last one left for the castle. The Shoton would be an interesting Kekkei Genkai to get.
Shino then felt something strange. "What is this sensation?" He wondered.
"What's wrong, Shino?" Kakashi asked.
"My bugs are detecting a strange chakra." The Aburame answered. "It is unlike anything we have ever felt. The sheer amount of chakra is too absurd."
Akamaru barked.
"Akamaru is feeling the same thing." Kiba said.
The group continued on their way. The bat headed toward the mist, where the strange chakra was also coming from.
"Prepare for combat!" Kakashi said. "But don't get careless!"
"Right!" Everyone said.
Suddenly, Kakashi made everyone stop. A smokescreen was spreading.
"They're expecting us." He said. "But if we stay here, we won't be able to find out what's happening in the lake. Naruto, you go on ahead to the lake. We'll make a diversion for you, but don't engage anyone."
"Got it." Naruto said as he jumped in the lake while going around the smokescreen.
He then stopped before a thick mist. He jumped in, staying above water thanks to the Undine soul.
He then heard a loud roar.
"This chakra and this roar. What the hell is going on here?" Naruto wondered.
He then received his last clone's memories. The original would be the one to get the Shoton.
As he walked forward, he saw something. Five crystal pillars and a large turtle encased in crystal. The turtle was very large, had a crab-like shell and...three tails.
"The Sanbi is here!?" Naruto thought.
Then, he saw the Sanbi's gaze turn toward him. Despite the fact that it's crystallized, Naruto could see that Sanbi was clearly conscious and saw it staring right at him.
The Sanbi roared and broke out of the crystal.
Then, the crystal woman from earlier attacked the Sanbi with multiple crystal projectiles.
"She doesn't look like anyone from Akatsuki... Could Orochimaru be trying to impede Akatsuki's progress?" It wasn't completely impossible. Orochimaru was once a member of Akatsuki and Sasori's former partner. So he knows their goal.
"Guren-san!" As the woman, Guren apparently, was repelled by one of Sanbi's roar, Naruto heard a child-like voice call out to the women. He looked to the side and saw a boat. A man and a boy were on the boat. The boy took notice of him as well.
As the Sanbi was about to attack Guren, the boy yelled and let out a visible amount of chakra that rose like a pillar around him. The shocking thing was that the Sanbi stopped in its track.
This kid could somehow control the Sanbi.
However, the pillars shattered and the boy stop what he was doing to control the Sanbi. The Bijuu roared, making waves and sending everyone flying.
Naruto was washed away to the shore.
He walked through the unusually thick mist until he met up with the rest of the group, including Hinata, Sakura and Sai.
"Are you alright, Naruto?" Yamato asked.
Naruto nodded. "I'm fine, but I made a terrifying discovery. The Sanbi is here and I think it's the source of this mist."
Everyone was shocked at his statement.
"It certainly explains this." Shino opened his palm and showed some bugs moving at random. "They've lost their sense of direction."
"So we know what they're aiming for, even if it was not what we expected." Kakashi said. "But first, we must escape this mist. Then we'll sort our information and plan our next move. Hinata, you will go to the sky with Sai and use your Byakugan."
"Y-Yes!" Hinata said as Sai made an ink avian.
When they returned she made her report.
"As we thought, this isn't an ordinary mist." Hinata said. "There's a violent chakra within it, and that chakra is also covering the entire lake."
"The Sanbi is a turtle, so covering the entire lake with its chakra must be easy." Naruto said.
"We will get out of the mist and observe the enemy." Kakashi said. "Pakkun is on his way to Konoha. We will wait for new orders."
The group left the vicinity of the mist and took shelter in a house made by Yamato's Mokuton.
"Naruto." Kakashi called out. "How was the enemy planning to seal the Sanbi?"
Naruto shrugged. "All I saw was that they restrained it with the Shoton, but once the Sanbi saw me, it broke free. It probably felt Kyuubi within me. But that wasn't all. The enemy also had a kid with them. That kid could somehow control the Sanbi. If they used both of these factors together, they probably would have captured it."
Kakashi was shocked but nodded.
"That means we can't just ignore the child." Yamato said. "We should capture him if we get the chance."
For the night, everyone was taking shifts to survey the area for enemy attacks. During the night, an exhausted Pakkun arrived with Shizune, Ino, Tenten and Lee.
"Now that I'm here, there is no need to worry!" Lee said.
Tenten narrowed her eyes at Lee, making him nervous. "You mean 'we', right?"
Ino stood before Sakura. "Well, you can relax now."
"As confident as always, I see, but I wonder if you've even managed to master the basics of Medical Ninjutsu yet." Sakura taunted.
"What was that!?" Ino growled. "Don't get cocky because you had a small head-start on me."
"Well, at least I didn't start yesterday." Sakura smirked.
Sai, who was near the argument, started taking notes.
"All right, you two, that's enough." Naruto said as he walked up to the two. He turned his gaze to Sakura. "Also, the last time you got cocky against Ino, you lost your fight in the Chunin Exams. Keep it up and she will also surpass you as a medic-nin."
Ino puffed her chest in pride. "You hear that, Forehead Girl?"
Sakura growled. "Shut up, Ino Pig!" She then turned to Naruto. "And whose side are you on, anyway!?"
"All I did was reminding you of the last time I saw you get cocky against Ino. All I'm saying is you shouldn't forget it if you don't want to fall behind."
Sai, who was still taking notes, said to himself. "So their nicknames are Forehead Girl and Ino Pig..." He then looked up and saw that the girls had heard him. They glared at him and punched him in the face at the same time, knocking him down.
The girls then giggled to themselves.
Shizune walked to Yamato and Kakashi. "Tsunade-sama outlined the situation, but please explain in finer details."
Kakashi nodded. "We've also made some discoveries since sending Pakkun." He said as the trio stepped into another room to talk.
After that, the entire group gathered to talk about the mission.
"The mission to search for Orochimaru's hideout has been cancelled." Shizune announced. "Sealing the Sanbi is our top priority. Sakura, Hinata and Ino will be under my command while Kakashi commands the rest of you."
Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.
"In our mission to seal the Sanbi, we must protect the child that Naruto has seen controlling the Sanbi. Akatsuki is not alone in trying to acquire the Bijuu. Orochimaru and certainly the other countries will try to go after an unsealed Bijuu."
"Was the child brought here to become a Jinchuuriki?" Sai asked Naruto, as he was the one to see the events.
Sakura was about to scold Sai, but Naruto calmly answered the question.
"The possibility is there, but he could also be there simply to facilitate the capture of the Sanbi." Naruto answered.
"Naruto is correct. Both possibilities are just as likely." Kakashi said.
"That's why we'll seal the Sanbi somewhere that nobody will find it." Shizune said.
"Hold on. A Bijuu is a giant mass of chakra, right? Sealing it doesn't sound like the simplest thing to do." Kiba commented.
Shizune nodded. "Sealing such an entity demands precise chakra control and great concentration. As medic-nin, Ino, Sakura and I are perfect for the job along with Hinata and her Hyuuga heritage."
"But even if we try to seal the Sanbi, the Shoton user will get in our way." Kakashi said. "So one squad will focus on her while the other teams protect the Sealing Team. Naruto, Sai, Shino!"
The aforementioned trio stood at attention.
"You three will help me fight the Shoton user." Kakashi said before he turned to Yamato. "I leave you in charge of the rest."
The Mokuton user nodded.
The next morning, the entire group headed off to the lake. The mist had been cleared.
The teams then split off to their objectives.
Naruto then noticed Sai staring at Shino.
"Oh yeah. You two have never met before." Naruto commented.
"Indeed." Shino said.
Naruto pointed his thumb at Sai. "This is Sai. Don't let his lack of social skills get to you, he's learning in his preferred way." He then turned to Sai. "Sai, this is Shino. This guy is very knowledgeable and can see the logic in any situation. You should know from your time in Anbu that Shino is an Aburame and is very adept at working with the Kikaichuu."
Sai nodded and smiled at Shino. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Shino said.
When they arrived near the lake, they had to cover a hiding Shino, as he was preparing his Kikaichuu.
Suddenly, Kakashi, Naruto and Sai were attacked by the large man that was on the boat when the Sanbi was on a rampage. They dodged the attack by jumping on the water.
The Konoha trio also blocked some crystal shurikens.
Guren appeared next to the large man. "This time, you're not getting away."
She slammed her hand on the water, turning it into crystal and aiming for Naruto, who jumped in the air to dodge.
"You're mine!" Guren said as the crystal spikes rose to the sky.
Naruto cursed and slammed a Rasengan on the incoming spikes, destroying them.
However, the large man used the pillar of crystal as a mace to try and crush the team, but they dodge. Sai made an ink beast that tried to attack Guren, but the large man caught the beast, allowing Guren to charge toward the Konoha team. Guren made a blade of crystal on her arm. Kakashi blocked the blade with his kunai and tried to attack Guren with his Raikiri, only for her to jump away before being hit. The large man ripped the ink beast in half and stood in front of Guren, facing the Konoha team.
Guren shot some crystal shuriken at the trio, only for them to block with their blades.
Meanwhile
Deidara sighed as Tobi tried to make him play hide and seek.
"I'm hiding my face, but not my butt." Tobi said as he hid behind a tree, with his butt sticking out. When he noticed that Deidara was ignoring him, he caught up to the blond. "Are you still mad at me for insulting your art, Senpai? Let's just be friends and look for the Sanbi together!"
Deidara glared at Tobi, frightening him. "Shut up!"
"But if we don't do our jobs, the others will start picking on us!" Tobi insisted. "What if I let you see what's under my mask?"
"I said shut up!" Deidara said as he headed left on a forked path.
"If you continue like that, I might leave!" Tobi threatened. When Deidara ignored him, Tobi sighed and walked to the right path. "I guess it can't be helped."
"I didn't think I'd find you guys here." Tobi turned to the source of the voice and found Souma.
"Souma-senpai!" Tobi said cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"
"I have spies travelling the Countries to find rogue Kekkei Genkai users. One of them is close by."
"Oooooh, another Kekkei Genkai for Souma-senpai? What is it?"
"A crystal-elemental Kekkei Genkai. I'll gain more knowledge of it when I take it from the user."
"Sounds exciting!" Tobi said as the two continued on their way. "Hopefully, we'll also find the Sanbi. Maybe then, Deidara-senpai will think Tobi is a good boy!"
"What did you do to make him angrier than usual?" Souma asked.
"Tobi saw something that looked like Deidara-senpai's work of art. Tobi then called Deidara-senpai's work of art a cheap rip-off. Deidara-senpai then made Tobi flying into the air with an explosion!"
Souma laughed as they walked along the road.
Naruto watched as Sai dodged the large man's never-ending assault and Kakashi dodged Guren's crystals.
The large man was suddenly restrained by ink snakes that jumped out of the water.
Guren sent three crystal dragons toward Kakashi, who used his Raikiri to save himself.
Guren smirked. "How naive."
Naruto's eyes widened as Guren made a large crystal spike. Kakashi fell on it, slightly piercing his back. Kakashi fell to the water as Guren walked toward him.
"It looks like your reputation was overblown, Sharingan Kakashi!" She said as she made three more dragons.
Naruto ran toward the fight to try and help Kakashi, but a large amount of bugs blocked the dragons before swarming Guren.
Guren crystallized the entire swarm. To her shock, the bugs broke free of the crystal.
"Impossible, my Shoton can't be defeated!" Guren claimed.
"Wanna bet?" Guren's eyes widened as she turned around to face Naruto.
Guren made a crystal blade and swiped at Naruto, who blocked with Muramasa. Her eyes widened as her blade started cracking. She jumped away as her blade shattered. She was then swarmed by Shino's bugs.
"Now! She can't use her Shoton!" Shino said.
Naruto charged.
Guren did her best to dodge Naruto's blade before she encased herself in a crystal barrier.
Naruto slammed a Rasengan on it, but it immediately repaired the damage.
Shino focused his bugs on one spot as Kakashi charged with a Raikiri. The crystal was shattered open by the bugs. As Kakashi was about to attack Guren with his Raikiri, a wall of mud blocked his hand.
"Gozu?" Guren asked aloud.
The wall of mud grew a face, the large man's face, before sending mud balls at the swarm of bugs. Gozu then grabbed Guren and let her down on the far shore.
Kakashi then focused his Raikiri on the mud wall, destroying the wall of mud and Gozu.
Naruto and Shino appeared next to Kakashi. "Are you all right, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, but she got away." Kakashi said as he stared at the far shore.
"Even with my bugs, she got away." Shino said.
"We'll split up." Kakashi said. "Naruto, go with Shino. Sai, you're with me."
Everyone nodded as the quartet split up.
Tobi and Souma were overlooking a lake. They saw Shizune, Sakura, Hinata and Ino with an odd barrier that suddenly became larger.
"Slowly lower the net. Do not let the Sanbi know we're here." Shizune ordered.
"Did you hear that, Senpai? The Sanbi is here!" Tobi said.
"Deidara would make things easier if he were here." Souma commented.
A tanned man then tried to charge toward the quartet, but Lee suddenly appeared and kicked him in the face, knocking him back. Tenten then appeared next to Lee. The tanned man then disappeared in a swirl of flame.
"This is bad!" Tobi said. "If this keeps up, the Sanbi will be sealed! If we were to fight them, we'd be outnumbered, right Senpai?"
"Let's wait until the Sanbi reveals itself." Souma said. "I hardly imagine it will let itself be sealed."
"Are you sure, Senpai?" Tobi asked as they could see the silhouette of the Sanbi underwater. "Oh, I think it's struggling to free itself."
The Sanbi was indeed struggling. But the seal was strong. Eventually, the Sanbi was completely ensnared in the net.
Suddenly, Guren attacked Lee and Tenten. The battle was pretty even until Guren used a crystal dragon. Ino was so shocked that it unbalanced the seal.
"And there's the crystal user." Souma said.
"That's impressive." Tobi commented.
The tanned man then charged toward the seal to break it, but was blocked by Naruto and Shino, who had come this way thanks to one of Shino's bugs. Shino used his bugs to stop the crystal dragon. Suddenly, the seal broke through the Sanbi's struggles.
"Oooh, you were right, Souma-senpai!" Tobi said. "The Sanbi broke the seal!"
"All thanks to the constant interruptions." Souma said. "Konoha weren't the only ones aiming for the Sanbi, so interruptions were bound to happen."
Guren and the tanned man, Rinji she called him, were about to leave, but the Sanbi made huge wave that washed everyone away.
The Sanbi then went to the island Guren was washed away in and seemed to be about to attack.
Souma and Tobi were tree hopping in the forest and saw the Sanbi. It looked like it was about to attack, but pillar of chakra appeared around a child and the Sanbi stopped.
"What's going on, Souma-senpai?" Tobi asked.
"From what I can see, the kid at the center of the rising chakra is controlling the Sanbi and making it stop. How he does it is a mystery."
"But that's a bad thing!" Tobi claimed. "Please keep watching over the Sanbi while I tell Deidara-senpai!" Tobi ran away, yelling 'Deidara-senpai!' the entire time.
Suddenly, the child became exhausted and Guren barely managed to dodge Sanbi's attack and land next to the child. Rinji also joined them. The Sanbi sent a water bomb at them, but they managed to take cover.
The Sanbi charged and bumped against the cliff. Rinji took cover with the child as Guren fell down.
The child joined Guren as the Sanbi was about to attack. He glowed with chakra that rose to the sky, splitting the clouds. The Sanbi stopped in its tracks.
However, the kid quickly became exhausted.
The Sanbi started to relentlessly shoot water bombs at the mountain.
Guren eventually managed to get up and jump away from the mountain with the kid. She then ran around the Sanbi, probably trying to lure the turtle away from wherever the kid was.
Naruto, Kakashi, Shino and Sai then arrived on the scene.
The Sanbi attacked the shore, where Souma guessed the kid was, before Guren attacked the Sanbi with two crystal dragons that it easily destroyed. She then encased the Sanbi in a crystal formation.
Naruto ran around the Sanbi's crystal cage and stood next to Guren. "You're looking worse for wear."
Guren glared at him. "What are you doing here?"
"The child is able to control the Sanbi, somehow. He must be protected." Naruto answered.
The Sanbi then roared and broke out of the crystal.
Guren clicked her tongue as she made a desperate move. "Shisho: Tenketsu!" She then glowed with chakra and jumped in the air. "Shoton: Isshi Koubyou!" She was surrounded by four lights that focused into a single laser that shot right into the Sanbi's single eye, staggering it.
"Now's my chance!" Naruto said as he charged toward the stunned tortoise with a Fuuton: Rasengan, which he slammed right on the Sanbi's eye.
The Sanbi wailed and went underwater.
"That wasn't too bad for a sudden truce." Naruto commented as he turned to Guren, who was panting and bleeding from the left hip, if the bloodstain was anything to go by.
The Sanbi then jumped right out the water and landed on them face first, swallowing them and diving back down.
"Oh boy, that's not good." Souma commented.
Naruto regained consciousness at the feeling of water dripping down his face.
"This place... Don't tell me the Sanbi ate us." Naruto sighed. "First a snake, now a tortoise. I'm not food, dammit!"
He then started walking around. The insides were made of hardened shells.
As he walked around, he met up with Guren.
"So, I'm not the only one who survived." Naruto commented.
Guren threw a crystal shuriken at Naruto, who blocked with Muramasa.
"You really want to fight inside the Sanbi of all places?" He asked.
"I won't let you take Yuukimaru away!" She claimed, despite being in pain from her wounded hip. She then fell unconscious.
He slowly walked toward her, making sure it wasn't just a show to make him lower his guard. She truly was unconscious.
"If she bleeds out, the Shoton will be lost." Naruto thought as he applied first aid on the wound.
Eventually, Guren woke up. When she saw him, she tried to attack him, but wince in pain from her wound. She then noticed her wound was bandaged.
"Why did you treat my wound?" She demanded.
"Because of Yuukimaru." Naruto answered. "Either you are important to him or the other way around, but things will get complicated with him if you die. So let's have a truce until we get out of here."
Guren was silent for a moment before she accepted the offer.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by an army of mini-Sanbi.
"Run!" Naruto screamed as they started fleeing. Guren fell, because of her wound. Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her away. He jumped in the air before landing on a wall.
"I can run by myself." Guren said as she pulled away from his grip and started running, with Naruto following her.
They eventually managed to hide from the army of Sanbi.
"You all right?" Naruto asked.
"Why did you save me?" She asked.
"I already told you, because of Yuukimaru."
"If the situation were reversed, I'd be killing you off."
"If the roles were reversed, my Jinchuuriki abilities would have healed the wound long before we were chased." Naruto countered.
Guren's eyes widened. "You're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?"
"There's no time to chat about that." Naruto said. "This place is a damn maze. We have to look for the exit, the right one, if possible."
Guren grimaced at the image before she nodded in agreement. Naruto used the Kage Bunshin to have the clones help in the search for the exit.
"With an army by our side, finding the exit will be a breeze." Naruto claimed.
Guren was shocked by the hundreds of Naruto clones.
Eventually, however, all of his clones were caught and dispelled by the little critters.
Guren and Naruto were soon surrounded by the little bastards once more, only for the little army to make way for larger versions of them.
"Gimme a break!" Naruto growled.
"We have to fight them." Guren said as she threw some crystal shuriken at the monsters. Their shells broke the crystals easily.
Naruto started looking for a way out and found a hole on the ceiling.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto made two Bunshin, who were ready to boost them up the ceiling.
"Can you jump?" Naruto asked.
Guren nodded, but winced and clutched her wound.
Naruto sighed as he crouched. "Get on my back."
Guren blushed. "I can't do that."
"Why not!? We're being chased here!" Naruto growled.
"...I have too much pride." She admitted.
Naruto sighed. "Dammit..." He then picked Guren up bridal style, making her blush even more, and used the clones to jump into the only way out of this mess.
Naruto sighed in relief.
Guren was still embarrassed. "Put me down, already!"
Naruto complied.
Suddenly, they heard water flowing. They ran to the source and saw Tsubaki flowers floating along a river.
"I think we've found our way out." Naruto said as they ran against the flow of water until they found a hole.
Naruto slammed a Rasengan into the hole to make it bigger. They were suddenly pulled in the hole.
When Naruto, regained consciousness, he and Guren were outside.
"We made it out." Guren said.
Suddenly, chakra flared all the way up to the clouds.
"Yuukimaru!" Guren called out as she rushed toward the chakra.
The two of them went to the source of the chakra, where they saw Rinji about to inject a liquid in Yuukimaru. Guren threw a crystal needle at Rinji, making him jump back before he could give the injection.
Guren caught Yuukimaru as he fell while Naruto stood between the duo and Rinji.
"You two are still alive after all..." Rinji said.
"You came back..." Yuukimaru muttered happily.
"I'm here..." Guren reassured.
Rinji chuckled. "Are you really so happy to see your mother's murderer, Yuukimaru?"
"Guren-san?" Yuukimaru asked.
Guren closed her eyes. "It's true. I killed your mother. I know you may never forgive me, no matter how much I regret and apologize."
Yuukimaru pulled a white Tsubaki flower encased in a crystal. "I know that Guren is a good person deep down."
Guren started crying in joy as she hugged the boy.
"What a horrible joke..." Rinji chuckled. "For two loving weaklings to comfort each other's pain... Such a bond will be ripped apart!" He then started throwing scalpels at the hugging duo, only for Naruto to deflect them all before catching the last one and throwing it right back at Rinji, cutting his cheek.
Naruto's eyes narrowed at the much lighter shade of skin underneath the first layer. "Nice disguise, Kabuto."
"I guess the scalpels gave away who was underneath the mask." Kabuto said as he peeled off the disguise. "But if you keep getting in my way, Naruto-kun, I will kill you."
"You say that when you've yet to defeat me once, like Sasuke." Naruto countered.
Guren's eyes widened. "He fought that guy and never lost?" She clearly remembered the last time she saw Sasuke. He had effortlessly knocked down a thousand enemies by himself.
Kabuto smirked as he charged with a scalpel in hand. Muramasa easily cut through the scalpel before Naruto kicked Kabuto to a wall.
"Guren, take Yuukimaru away." Naruto said. "I'll deal with Four-eyes."
Guren nodded before she left with Yuukimaru in her arms.
Kabuto bit his thumb before applying the blood to a scroll. "Shikon no Jutsu!" He then threw the scroll down to where Guren and Yuukimaru were.
The reanimated corpse of Rinji was standing before the duo. "Guren..."
Naruto looked at the fight. Rinji's ability to control bats and their ultrasonic waves was the perfect counter to Guren's Shoton, as the waves easily destroyed any crystal she tried to create. Eventually, Guren managed to grasp Rinji's arms, preventing him from using the bats, and crystallizing the both of them.
"Guren-san!" Yuukimaru cried out as he tried to prevent the crystal from falling into the lake, but failed.
As the crystallized Tsubaki started to crack, Yuukimaru cried out in anguish, flaring his chakra and making the Sanbi powerful enough to break the seal once more. Upon breaking the seal, the Sanbi made its way toward them while destroying everything in its path.
"Now that his bond with Guren has shattered, he finally unleashed his true powers." Kabuto told Naruto. "To think his despair would make such a huge impact..."
Naruto kept his gaze on the Sanbi as it destroyed everything around it. This thing had to be stopped. He activated four tails of Kyuubi's chakra, gaining the Sanbi's attention.
The Sanbi shot a water bomb, which Naruto countered with the Chakra Gun Volley.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Yuukimaru was making the Sanbi more powerful than normal. He would need to use even more of Kyuubi's chakra.
Two more of the Kyuubi's tails grew larger. He started creating a Bijuudama. Seeing what he was doing, the Sanbi also prepared a Bijuudama.
Kabuto's eyes widened at Naruto's use of chakra and at the thought of the damage this will obviously cause. He promptly left the vicinity.
Both beasts launched their attacks, which clashed midway before Naruto's started dominating and push Sanbi's back toward it. The Sanbi wailed as he received the attack and the explosion before it went back underwater.
Naruto deactivated the Kyuubi's chakra and turned to Yuukimaru, who was on the ground and no longer flaring chakra.
Naruto sighed. "Guess I have to bring him with me." He said as he picked the boy up. He then saw the crystallized Tsubaki. When it started cracking, Yuukimaru unleashed his power. If he didn't have it with him, he will probably unleash more. So he picked it up and placed it in the boy's hand. Even unconscious, the boy clutched it tightly.
"With the Sanbi out of the seal and back underwater, the others are probably going back to camp and resting up." Naruto said before he headed back to the Mokuton house.
When he made it back, everyone was relieved to see him safe and they placed Yuukimaru on a futon. Upon examination, the boy's body had been so stressed that his vitals were weak and he lost his ability to control the Sanbi.
Through Katsuyu, Tsunade's Slug Summon, they received the Hokage's order to return to the Village, now that capturing the Sanbi is perceived as too difficult for them. Another team will be keeping watch over the Sanbi until it can be sealed.
In the middle of the night, Naruto woke up and found that Yuukimaru snuck out. He ran outside and looked around. He heard a grass whistle and ran toward the source until it stopped. He then saw something glowing within a bush and picked it up.
It was the crystallized Tsubaki, without a single crack on it.
"I see..." Naruto said as he returned to camp.
The next morning, the younger members were shocked that Yuukimaru snuck away. Most wanted to search for him, but others, like Shino, Kakashi and Naruto were against the idea.
"Without the ability to control the Sanbi, he is useless to us." Shino had said.
"There is no need to look for a child that run's away." Kakashi had said.
Naruto had merely pulled out the crystallized Tsubaki. "The crystal repaired itself, which means that Guren is alive. He probably ran back to her, so we don't need to worry."
Everyone relented and packed up. But when Naruto was about to put the crystal back in his backpack, it shattered to pieces.
"Uh oh." Naruto said.
"'Uh oh!'" Sakura repeated indignantly. "That's all you're saying!?"
"What else can I say?" Naruto asked. "We were ordered to return to the village. There's nothing more we can do."
When everyone was about to leave, the Anbu team appeared and were ready to watch over the Sanbi. Yamato dispelled the wooden house and the group made their way back to Konoha.
Later, one of the Anbu landed next to another one, who was writing something. "Time for the report, huh?" He asked.
"Yeah." The second one said.
"What are you writing, hmph?" Deidara asked as he suddenly appeared between the two, making them jump away.
It was too late, however, for both of them already had a clay spider on them that exploded in their faces, killing both of them.
Tobi applauded as he approached the blond. "Wow, as expected from Deidara-senpai."
"This is completely different from your intel, hmph." Deidara told Tobi.
"Of course." Both of them turned to Souma, who had just landed next to them. "The previous teams left after failing to seal the Sanbi twice. The four Anbu were their replacement."
"Souma-senpai! Did you get your new Kekkei Genkai?" Tobi asked.
"As a matter of fact, I did." Souma said.
"There won't be anyone to bother us now, so let's fill our quota!" Tobi said.
"You're a hundred years too young to be bossing us around, hmph." Deidara said as he made an avian from his clay and flew over the lake.
He made multiple clay bombs that swam under water and exploded the entire lake. With the lake mostly out of water from the explosion, the Sanbi was very much visible.
"Wow, from that close, it really looks like a tortoise." Tobi commented.
"So this is the Sanbi?" Deidara asked.
"I think I'll leave it to Deidara-senpai and Souma-senpai." Tobi said.
"Ah, Tobi, you were only accepted in Akatsuki because Souma didn't need the position, right?" Deidara asked as his avian gained altitude. "How about you deal with it?"
"Now, now, Deidara, that's not how one should treat his kouhai." Souma said before he turned to Tobi. "Just watch your senpai gobble this thing whole."
Tobi clapped his hands as he jumped back. "Oh, I can't wait to see this!"
The Sanbi roared and shot a water bomb at Souma.
"Ranton: Raiunkuha!" Souma said as thunderclouds appeared around him and absorbed the water bomb before growing bigger. The clouds shot lightning straight in the Sanbi's face, making it wail in pain.
The Sanbi tried attacking Souma with one of its tails, but the thunderclouds would shock the tail before it made impact and shoot lightning at the Sanbi again.
"Now, for the grand finale!" Souma said as the clouds used all their chakra to shock the Sanbi. As the Bijuu whimpered in pain, Souma appeared before it. He removed his mask, but kept a firm grip on his hood to hide his face.
"Meiton: Kyuketsuko!" Souma said before he absorbed the mass of chakra that was the Sanbi with his mouth. When he finished, he put his mask back on and turned to the others while pulling out a glowing blue orb. "That's five out of nine, now!"
Tobi applauded. "That was amazing, Souma-senpai!"
"Impressive." Deidara said. "And that's our quota filled for now, so let's go back, hmph." He made a second avian for Tobi and Souma and they left for the closest hideout to seal the Sanbi.